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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27353764">City</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/127s/pseuds/127s'>127s</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>resonance prompts [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, M/M, Roommates, bed sharing, but this is soft i promise, jaemsung are very awkward, jisung is afraid of spiders, oh my god they were roommates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:09:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27353764</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/127s/pseuds/127s</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Not a spider, God, anything but a spider.</p>
<p>He sees it hurry down the side of his bed until it's completely out of his sight, and Jisung is frantically moving to stand, terrified it would appear at the floor beside him.</p>
<p>It's so fast, it could be anywhere, and—</p>
<p>He's out of his room, bringing the door to a loud shut behind him. He leans against it, slightly breathless from the sudden exercise.</p>
<p>Wasn't the whole point of the city to not have spiders?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Na Jaemin/Park Jisung</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>resonance prompts [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993867</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>City</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jisung isn't sure that he likes the city.</p>
<p>It's always loud, he's sure he's never gone longer than five minutes without hearing a car fly past with no regard for the speed limit.</p>
<p>And it's always light, no matter how firmly he closes his curtains, there's always lights from surrounding buildings seeping inside, which doesn't help when his bed is right by the window. When he finally feels he's nearing sleep, it's the sunlight that starts to intrude, and he feels like he can do nothing but give up.</p>
<p>If he did have the chance to dream, he's sure it'd be about the days at home, where he could sleep for twelve hours straight if he wanted to, long into the day.</p>
<p>And then there's his roommate. Of course, it'd be ridiculous to even think of affording a place in the city on his own, even one as pathetically small as the apartment he'd ended up in, but maybe he'd at least hoped to convince one of his few friends to risk it with him, but no, a practical stranger sleeps in the room beside him now, and everyday Jisung wills the awkwardness to fade, but it doesn't.</p>
<p>He's a mutual friend of Chenle's, at least, but it doesn't make it much better. It's not even that Jisung <i>dislikes</i> Jaemin, he seems fine, seems to even share some interests of Jisung's, he's never loud, never intrusive of the other's privacy— it's just that they can't seem to pass that stranger phase.</p>
<p>It makes Jisung realise that the whole domestic, roommate thing feels a lot more intimate than he'd thought, weekly grocery shopping, sharing meals, it's all things that should be shared with people you love and care for, not strangers.</p>
<p>He shifts in his bed for what feels the thousandth time, pulling the covers along with him. It's exhausting, living in the city, even if he isn't doing anything.</p>
<p>He hasn't bothered to fuss over the positioning of the curtains, knows they'll be of no use anyway, regardless of how much light they let in, he'll be awake anyway.</p>
<p>He opts to stare at the ceiling for a while, maybe he read somewhere that it helps, or maybe he's just making stuff up at this point. He can't seem to close his eyes either, something tells him it just serves as more of a reminder he's awake.</p>
<p>Once more, Jisung turns to his side, coming to face the wall.</p>
<p>The wall, and a spider.</p>
<p>Immediately, he stumbles backwards out of the bed, bringing a tangle of sheets and covers with him, limbs flying in every direction.</p>
<p>Not a spider, God, anything but a spider.</p>
<p>He sees it hurry down the side of his bed until it's completely out of his sight, and Jisung is frantically moving to stand, terrified it would appear at the floor beside him.</p>
<p>It's so fast, it could be anywhere, and—</p>
<p>He's out of his room, bringing the door to a loud shut behind him. He leans against it, slightly breathless from the sudden exercise.</p>
<p>Wasn't the whole point of the city to not have spiders?</p>
<p>He remains there for a few seconds, before he realises just what the situation he's gotten himself into is. He can't sleep, he can't even go into his room with that thing in there. Sure, he can try to sleep on the couch, as uncomfortable as it is, but then he won't be able to enter in the morning, and what if there are more spiders by then? </p>
<p>Jisung's gaze finds the door to Jaemin's room, and for a moment, he just stares at it, like it's a foreign object he's never seen before. He brings himself away from his own, and moves towards it, hesitates. It's not <i>that</i> late, surely Jaemin wouldn't be too bothered— though Jisung supposes he wouldn't know, he barely speaks to the other unless he needs to.</p>
<p>His hand hovers over the wood of the door, and he feels like he's forgotten how to form a fist, but what else is he going to? It's not like he has anything more of an option for getting rid of the spider.</p>
<p>So he knocks.</p>
<p>There's nothing of a response for a while, a long enough period of silence for Jisung to start to wonder if Jaemin was even in there. He steps back, maybe the couch wouldn't be that horrible for the night—</p>
<p>"Hmm? Jisung?"</p>
<p>He realises Jaemin is standing in the doorway by now. His voice is hoarse enough to reveal he's been asleep, his hair a partial mess at the top of his head, and a slightly dazed expression accompanying it. There's a light coming from the room that hadn't been there a moment ago.</p>
<p>Jisung almost forgets the reason he'd knocked in the first place. "There's uh— There's a spider." His voice is rather small, and he presses his lips together after he speaks.</p>
<p>Jaemin is still for a second, silent, looking at Jisung like he'd misheard him. "A spider? Where?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," Jisung mumbles, rather stiff in his position himself. "In my room. Somewhere near my bed."</p>
<p>There's a moment of unsureness in Jaemin's movements, and he clears his throat. "You want me to get rid of it?"</p>
<p>Somehow, Jisung hadn't expected the offer so directly. "Uh— yeah, yeah. That'd be cool." He answers, nodding in an effort to fade the awkwardness of his words at all.</p>
<p>Jaemin just nods, stepping out of his room once Jisung moved to the side. Jisung realises the other is waiting for him to lead him to his own room, so he begins to move, though slows when he approaches the door, lingers. He's silent, realising how stupid he's being. "Can you open it?"</p>
<p>Jisung can't really place the expression on Jaemin's face. "Sure," He answers, and Jisung offers somewhat of a grateful smile, knowing how easy it would be for anyone to ridicule him for the irrationalness of the fear. "Have you always been scared of them?" </p>
<p>The younger moves a few steps away from the door, leaning at the nearby wall of the hallway instead, watching Jaemin closely. "Sort of. I guess I always was, it just got worse as I grew up. They always show up in the worst moments." He explains, with an unsure shrug.</p>
<p>He sees an understanding smile from Jaemin. Though it's nothing like the polite, small smiles he's seen from the other before, it's reassuring. "I get that." He says, hand finding place at the doorknob, twisting it and pushing the door open. </p>
<p>Jisung tenses at just the door being opened. </p>
<p>"You said it was near your bed?"</p>
<p>He nods.</p>
<p>"I'll see if it's still around."</p>
<p>Jaemin disappears into the room after that, and Jisung only hears occasional movements from inside. He wants to make sure things are fine, but he can't seem to bring himself to move. Not when that spider is still in there.</p>
<p>The other appears in his sight again a minute or so later. "Can't find it." </p>
<p>Jisung had dreaded those words. </p>
<p>"Oh," He answers, pushing himself off of the wall. "I—"</p>
<p>"I get it. You can take my bed if you—" </p>
<p>"No, no, it's okay," Jisung shakes his head, knowing well he's bothered his roommate enough. "I'll just sleep on the couch tonight." He knows he won't dare to enter his room again.</p>
<p>"The couch?" Jaemin repeats, and there's a smile tugging at his lips again, this one playful, yet somehow equally as reassuring. "You'd be better off trying to sleep on a brick wall." He jokes. </p>
<p>Jisung isn't sure if Jaemin's <i>trying</i> to lighten the tenseness, but he thinks for a moment, it works.</p>
<p>"You take my bed, I can take yours, for tonight." Jaemin brings a hand through his hair, ruffles it a little. It reminds Jisung a little of a puppy. </p>
<p>He knows the idea makes sense for the both of them, but it still doesn't sit right with him. "I don't want you to sleep in my room either. I mean, the spider is probably still in there." </p>
<p>He sees a moment of conflict on Jaemin's face, like he's torn between saying two different things. "We could share my bed, then," He suggests, gaze momentarily on the floor, thinking. "If you want."</p>
<p>Jisung chews at the inside of his cheek. It made the most sense, to him at least. "Yeah, if— if that's fine with you too, of course."</p>
<p>Jaemin gives a singular nod. "Sure."</p>
<p>"Okay." Jisung mumbles. No big deal. It definitely wasn't like he was sharing a bed with someone he'd barely said more than two words to before that night.</p>
<p>Jaemin wordlessly nods for Jisung to follow, pulling the younger's door to a shut, then leading the way to his own room.</p>
<p>Jisung stands and blinks for a moment, before he wills himself to follow. He's never been in Jaemin's room before, seen nothing more than glimpses from the hallway. It's simply decorated, but cozy, and it only takes him a moment once inside to conclude the other is much better at making use of the space he has, with neatly packed shelves of books, more books than Jisung had ever realised from the small glimpses inside. He sees photos too, some in frames, some on walls, closet doors, some simply sitting around, leaving Jisung to believe they were recently taken. Some of people, people he assumes are the other's friends, places, meals, everything he can think of. He exhales slightly in surprise. "I didn't know you liked taking photos so much. I mean, Chenle told me you did but— not this much."</p>
<p>He hears Jaemin sit down at his bed, and looks over to him, seeing the other on the side with covers already pulled aside. "I guess you could say that." He answers with amusement. Jisung sees several cameras lined up on a shelf, varying in size. It's fascinating, though he realises <i>just</i> how much he's intruding, as well as putting off actually getting into bed.</p>
<p>"Sorry," He clears his throat. "It's interesting."</p>
<p>"It's cool. Maybe I'll take a photo of you, when it's not the middle of the night." The older answers, and Jisung almost wants to smile at that. </p>
<p>"Sure." He says, and impossibly slowly, begins to sit down on the other side of the bed. "You're good, you know, at taking photos."</p>
<p>Jaemin yawns. "Thanks." He hums, settling down in his bed, pulling the covers over himself. He motions for Jisung to do the same. "I guess there's a lot we don't know about each other."</p>
<p>"Yeah." Jisung agrees, a little hesitance still nagging at him before he moves the covers back, and shifts to lie down. Jaemin's bed was more comfortable than his own, he soon decides. </p>
<p>Jaemin seems to wait a few moments before he reaches over to turn off the light at his nightstand, bringing the room into an almost darkness. There's a hint of light stubborn in lingering, but somehow, it's more tolerable than that of Jisung's room.</p>
<p>Jisung looks to the ceiling, focusing on it as if it were a detailed pattern. He hears occasional shuffling from beside him. "I'm sorry for waking you up." He apologises, the words leaving him before he can even consider it. </p>
<p>"It's okay," The older reassures. "Being scared of things sucks. I wish I could have helped more."</p>
<p>Jisung tilts his head to the side, facing Jaemin. He finds the other looking at him too, and their eyes meet, yet neither break the contact. "Are you scared of anything?"</p>
<p>Jaemin gives an exhale of an amused laugh. "Of course," His gaze still stays on the younger. "Heights. Sharks. Losing people. Other things, probably."</p>
<p>"And what do you do to help those fears?"</p>
<p>"Well, I try to avoid heights and sharks, mostly" Jaemin jokes, a smile appearing, one that this time, Jisung finds himself returning. "But photos help. For being scared of losing people, losing things. When you take a photo, you always have that. You always have the memory and feelings of that."</p>
<p>Jisung nods, finding himself understanding. He's unsure of his own next words, and takes a moment to will himself to actually say them. "It helps. Being here, being with you. You helped." He turns so he's fully facing Jaemin, and there's the feeling of intimacy, of closeness.</p>
<p>"Good." Jaemin almost whispers. "I hope I can help more, in the future."</p>
<p>Jisung hopes so too.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello! :D i have quite a few of these prompt fics prewritten so i'm able to post them frequently, but i find myself writing the same ships a lot and i'm not sure if that's interesting or not, so if anyone has any suggestions for ships for me to write for later prompts please let me know!! and that can include more of those i've already wrote of course &lt;33</p></blockquote></div></div>
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